Red Rack'em I Trusted You" b/w "Converse"

If one could level a criticism against UK-bred, Berlin-based producer Red Rack'em (a.k.a. Danny Berman), it's that on occasion, he can sound a little divorced from the music he's making. To be fair, this could be said about many producers—plenty know which buttons to press, but not necessarily how to make a track that presses buttons. Berman regularly shifts from style to style, and perhaps this has compromised his ability to really hone in on a sound. Although formally very well done, "I Trusted You" b/w "Converse," his latest 12", doesn't help this reputation much.

On the energetic a-side, gritty, crackling organ stabs alternate with cleaner ones, while a pitched-down voice repeats the title. Pushed forward by a cantankerous bassline and clattering, reverb-coated drums, it's a sufficiently bumpy house workout, but not much more than that. "Converse," on the flip, is more spare, and done in a vaguely tropical, syncopated style that hints at UK funky house. Its clean, plastic-y rhythm is paired with a mostly dulled, groaning bass, which intermittently wobbles to the fore. Calming pads give this foundation an added dose of warmth, but it's still likely to simply blend into a set. Again, there is nothing wrong with "I Trusted You" b/w "Converse," but one gets the sense that Berman is holding back a bit, as neither piece goes beyond its premise.